A lot of the vintage vans that cross our desks here at Barn Finds are those of the customized variety, and I certainly understand their appeal, especially examples that are tastefully done and well preserved. It’s hard not to appreciate the imagination that went into so many of those creations, with the flower child paint jobs and decked-out interiors. But it’s pretty cool too if you run across a van that still presents similarly to when it rolled off the assembly line, and while this 1970 Ford E-100 Club Wagon may not have made much of a splash with the Haight Ashbury crowd, its no-nonsense appearance sort of speaks for itself. If you’ve been envisioning a decent hauler or people mover in your future, this one may be worth a look. It’s located in Mount Shasta, California, and can be found here on Craigslist with the price set at $14,500.
And speaking of the Haight Ashbury District, this Club Wagon is geographically not too far from there, and the seller says the van is a daily runner so perhaps it’s been spotted cruising around in the Haightee area before. The seller is only the second owner, so this one has just exchanged hands one time in the last 52 years, although we don’t know how long ago it was when he acquired it. Power is provided by a 302 cubic inch V8, and unfortunately, we don’t get to see the engine but it’s said to start every time. No word on how well that motor performs or whether or not it’s ever had a rebuild, but at least we know it runs and should be easy to get to when maintenance is needed. Shifting duties are provided by a C4 automatic transmission.
This Club Wagon is described as an unscathed survivor, and while there is nothing specifically mentioned about the originality of the paint, that could well be the original finish if it’s been in the California area for a long period of time. There’s apparently no rust to be found anywhere, no dents, and the original spare tire and jack are still present. The van has new tires, brakes, and wheel bearings, plus it’s said to drive straight and stop well.
There’s room for 8 people inside, with 2 captain’s swivel seats in the front and 2 bench seats behind them. The front chairs are showing some wear, but the couches are looking OK. The van is also equipped with air conditioning, a rare option according to the seller, and everything is still intact in that department but the A/C is not currently charged up. Hopefully, that’s all it will need to continue keeping things cool in there. What are your thoughts on this 1970 Ford E-100 Club Wagon Van, and its price tag of $14,500?
Pack um in, crank that A/C and your off!
Apparently for a California van, it spent enough time in Washington State to get current license plates.
This generation only ran from 1969 to 74, very likely why you don’t see many today. The next generation had a much longer run (1975 – 91).
And please change the wheels.
There used to be a million of these on the roads, or so it seems. I had a ’72 Club Wagon with a 302 back in the late 80s and they were still common then.
It’s the Grandpa to my 98 Club Wagon Chateau!
Looks like the van they used in the
Ironside TV show from 70-74. Terry’s
right though, you saw them everywhere back then. Other than being run into the ground, the only other thing that I recall was in the
Midwest, many of these went to the
crusher after the steering box rusted
off the frame. Apart from that, they
were loyal, faithful servants that took
a great deal of abuse and still came
back for more. It’s nice to see one
that isn’t beaten up or rusted out. Just put a set of slotted mags on it,
and you have a winner. Great find
though.
My parents bought one of these new. My mother than made curtains for all the windows. After school me and my GF would head over to K-Mart to park, pulled the curtains closed and….. Man I miss that van and I’m still friends with that girl 45 years later.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre style.
Decent, but that price seems extremely optimistic. Guess they know what they got!!!
This generation Ford van was the first to use the twin-I-beam front suspension. The E150s and E250s had terrible front tire and shock life due to the incorrect front spring frequency. For those of us old enough to remember seeing these driving down the highways with their front tires just jumping up down like crazy, cupping the tires into useless chunks of rubber. The only fix on the originals was Moog Cargo Coils and decent quality shocks. The next best thing to happen the front suspension was radial tires. After those three changes, they became a very drive able vehicle.
Thank you for the info, the kind only insider/experianced people have, and important to know.
I have a few of these, and have experianced the wheel hop like a basket ball, it was terrifying, and it was the result of a bad shock. I have coincidentally upgraded to the Moog ‘progressive rate’ springs on one of them and, of course, run radials.
This van is not a 100, its a 200. Clubs didnt come in 1/2 tons; though maybe some obscure instance they did.
The $14 is on the high side for an old van, but, for this model, condition and options, seems a good deal.
A friend of mine brother back the 70’s had one. He put Cragar SS wheels on it. The front suspension broke the wheels!
Love these.
The one rust issue is the lower control arm frame box; when they let go, you lose control, and they can be a lot of fun to try & replace.
Saweet!